Means for cleaning ashes from flues



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' G. H. SELLERS.

MEANS FOR GLEA NING ASHES FROM FLUES.

No. 426,648. Patented Apr. 29, 1890.

M MI

1 -|'r' J 1'. TL.

w l viwssets': v I haw]:-

mun-

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. H. SELLERS.

MEANS'FOR CLEANING ASHES PROM BLUES. No. 426,648. Patented Apr. 29,1890.

WITNESSES INVENTOR y w/vdaam.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

G. H. SELLERS. MEANS FOR CLEANING ASHES FROM FLUES. No. 426,648.Patented Apr. 29, 1890,

INVENTOR 965w. am,

(No Model. 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

' G. 'H. SELLERS.

MEANS FOR CLEANING AfiHES FROM PLUES. N0. 426,648.

mm J WV m J a Q Patented Apr. 29

UNITED STATES PATENT EricE.

GEORGE H. SELLERS, OF RIDLEY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE EDGEMOOR IRON COMPANY, OF DELAWVARE.

MEANS FOR CLEANING ASHES FROM FLUES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,648, dated April29, 1890.

Application filed March 8, 1889- Serial No. 302,578. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H, SELLERS, of .Ridley Park, Delaware county,in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in the Means for Clearing the Ashes from the Flue Betweenthe Furnace and the Chimney of Internally- Fired Steam-Boilers, of whichimprovements the following is a specification.

These improvements relate more particularly to intern ally-firedsteam-boilers provided with vertical water-tubes which cross a finebetween the furnace and the chimney, and as they are particularlyapplicable to the Galloway boiler the drawings represent this type; butthey are equally applicable to the Lancashire or to any other form ofboiler in which the products of combustion pass through a flue which ispartially closed at one end by the bridge-wall of the furnace. NVhen theproducts of combustion pass directly from the furnace into a fine ortubes both ends of which are unobstructed, there is usually nodifficulty in clearing out the ashes by pushing them through the tube;but where they pass into a fine which is obstructed by watertubescrossing the same there is a larger deposit of ashes in consequence ofthe obstruction to the current by the water-tubes, and the difficulty ofremoval is increased from the same cause; but if one end of this fine"is closed by the bridge-wall of the furnace this difficulty is greatlyintensified. I-Ieretofore the only effectual mode of removing the asheswhich accumulate about such water-tubes in a flue closed at one end bythe furnace has been by entering the fine when the damper is wide openand the boiler has no fire in it and sweeping the ashes out toward thechimney; but as the periods when such conditions can be obtained areusually too far apart a partial clearing has been effected by passing 7a steam-pipe over the bridge-wall when the fire is banked, and somanipulating this pipe that a steam-jet issuing from the curved innerend thereof will disturb the ashes and permit the draft of the chimneyto carry them out of the boiler. This method is but moderatelysuccessful. The top of the bridge-wall is so far above the base of thewater-tubes,

about which by far the largest proportion of the ashes accumulate, thatit is impossible to is impossible to direct it to the proper point.

The object of my invention is to effectually clear outthe ashes aboutthe water-tubes of such boilers while the boiler is in active operation,so that this clearing may be performed at any time at the convenience ofthe operator; to which end my invention consists in providing abridge-wall removable below the grate-bars, so as to provide an openingas large as possible into the flue beyond the bridge-wall, through whichopening and the firing-door a large current of air can pass through theline; and it further consists in providinga pipe through which steam orcompressed air can be passed, suitably jointed,

so that it can be passed into and through this opening along the basesof the water-tubes and to the rear end of the boiler, whereby a jet'ofsteam or compressed air can be made to impinge upon the surface of thewatertubes at their bases respectively and consecutively, and so as tosweep the lower surface of the flue effectually, thereby disturbing theashes at the lowest point, while the large current of air through thefire-door and below the grate-bars sweeps them from the boiler.

In order that my invention may be more clearly understood, reference isnow made to the drawings forming part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of the furnace endof a Galloway boiler, showing one of the furnaces with its grate-barsand its bridge-wall, with the removable portion of the bridge-wall inplace, also the flue beyond the bridge-wall with its verticalwater-tubes. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the furnace end, showingthe removable portion of the bridge-wall underneath the grates withdrawnin one furnace and. in the other in place. Fig. 3 is a verti calsection, longitudinal with the boiler through theaxis of one furnace,showing the grate-bars and the bridge-wall with its removable portionwithdrawn, also the flue beyond the bridge-wall with its verticalwatertubes and thepipe in position for supplying a jet of steam orcompressed air for displacing the ashes. Fig. 4 is a plan of this pipe.Fig. 5 is a side elevation of same. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section ofthe joint-connection for same, and Fig. 7 is an end elevation thereof.

' In all ofthe figures similar letters refer to similar parts.

Referring now to Fig. 1, A is the furnace;

B, the firing-door; O, the grate-bars; D, the

bridge-wall, composed of fire-brick and two iron frames 'E and F, bothof which frames fit thecurvature of the furnace which sup-. ports them,the lower one F being removable to give a clear opening under thegrate-bars tothe back flue G, in line with the furnace A, in which fiuethe vertical water-tubes are shown. In the middle of this lower part of,the bridge-wall F and on its outer side is a rib a, through which is ahole 0, into which a,

hook can be inserted for drawing this part of the bridge-wall out of thefurnace when it is desired to remove the ashes, which accumulate morelargely immediately behind the bridge-wall than at any other place inthe movable on the grate side, which enables this portion of thebridge-wall to be taken out of the boiler, whereby an unobstructedpassage is afforded for the air to the back flue, while the fire is notdisturbed by the removal.

In Fig. 3 a pipe is shown in position along the bottom of the furnaceand the back flue to supply a jet of steam or of compressed air, andFigs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 show the construction I of this pipe.

H is a handle for manipulating the pipe so as to direct the jet issuingfrom the curved end thereof to whatever part of the flue it is desiredto operate upon. The steam or com pressed air which forms the jet issupplied to the pipe through the flexible india-rubber tube 1, which hasone end connected through a suitable valve to the most convenient sourceof supply near the front end of the boiler, and

' as the space between this end of the boiler and one side of theboiler-room is usually so limited that a single pipe of sufiicientlength, to pass through the back flue could not be inserted this pipe isprovided with joint-com nections J J, which permits it to be folded ton'ienced.

Letters Patent, is

diminish its length. The section Fig.6 shows the construction of thesejoints,cach of which consists of two ordinary elbow-connections unitedby an ordinary wrought-iron sleeve threaded like the ends of the pipes.Into one of these elbows the sleeve is screwed to a tight fit, the sameas the pipes. The other end of the sleeve has a groove turned in' itabout the middle of its length and to a depth slightly below the bottomof the thread, and into this groove ordinary fibrous steam packing iswound, after which it is screwed into the elbow nearly to a tight fit,but so that the elbow can freely oscillate about the axis of the sleeve.The packing will prevent the escape of any steam or air, while thejoints admit of folding the pipe to any le'ngth that may be necessary.

In all boilers there is "a' dam'per between the boiler and the chimneytoregulate thedraft or to cut off the communication with the chimney,when required; but, inasmuchas theiconstruction of this damper formsno part of my present invention, and its operation is well understood, Ihave not shown it upon the draw- 'lngs.

The operation of clearing out the ashes from the back flue is asfollows: First,'remove the lower part of the bridge-wall F and openthefiring-door B and the damper,so as topermit the largest possible amountof airto'enterthe back flue Gand to pass freely therefrom to thechimney; second, insert the'pipe through the opening underthe fixedportion of the'bridgewall to any desired distance into the back flue G,and connect the flexible'tube I with the steam-pipe or the compressedair, as the case may be; third, openthe valve, which admits the fluidunder pressure to this pipe. The

Y steam or air will issue from'the curved end of this pipe in a strongjet, which will blow the ashes from beforeit, which the large volume ofair, rushing to the chimney through the fire-door and the opening underthe fixed portion of the bridge-wall, willearry out of the back flue.The jet can be directed to any part of the back flue by manipulating thepipe with the handle II, and as this pipe is supported throughout itslength on the bottom of the furnace andon'that of the back flue themanipulation can be accomplished with great case, while the efliciencyof theapparatus is greatly enhancedby the'large volume of air which theopening under the fixed portion of the bridge-wall admits-a volumegreatly in excess of that heretofore attainable through the firing-dooralone.

After the ashes have been thus 'clearedfroin the'back flue the pipeis'withdrawn, the lower part of the bridge- 'w'allF isrepla'cetl, thefiring-door is closed,

and the work of the boiler proceeds as before the operation of clearingthe ashes was com- 'I-Iavingithus;'fully described invention, what-"Ilaimfas new, and desire to "secure by 1. A steam-boiler providedinternally with vIO a furnace and a flue in line with each other,through which flue all the products of combustion from the furnace aredischarged from the boiler, in combination with a bridge-wall, thatportion of the bridge-Wall beneath the grate-bars being removable,substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a steam-boiler, in combination, a furnace, a bridge-wall, thatportion of the bridgewall beneath the grate-bars being removable, and aflue behind said bridge-wall, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

3. In a steam-boiler, in combination, a furnace, a bridge-wall, thatportion of the bridgewall below the grate-bars of the furnace beingremovable 011 the grate side, and a flue behind said bridge-wall,substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. The hereinbefore-described method of cleaning ashes from a boiler,substantially as

